Safety device for railways.



0. B Q'M ITGHBLL. I SAFETY DEVICE FOB-"RAILWAYS.

. APPLICATION n'uz'n MAY 9, 1910. 1,004,806.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

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CHARLES B. MITCHELL, 01E FRANIUJIN, TEXAS.

til I 7mm it mag/concern: Be it known that I, CHARLns B. M ron- ELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Franklin, in the county of Robertson and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Safety Device for Railways, of which the following is a specification. r

This invention has reference to improve ments in safety devices for railways and is designed to provide a device which will positively operate the controlling devices of a railway locomotive whether of steam or electric type, if danger. conditions within a pre companying drawings forming a part of this specification, in whichdrawings:-

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the invention as applied to a railway systern, the controlling devices of an ordinary locomotive as arranged for coaction with the devices of the present invention being also diagrammatically represented. Fig. 23

is'a sectional view of the train engaged dc vices at the side of the roadbed. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the structure of Fig. 2. Fig. 4: isa detail view of an engine carried element. Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section and viewed from the side of the "structure of Fig. 2 remote from the track, of the train engaging devices.

Referring to the drawings there is shown in- Fig. 1' an indication of a locomotive 1 with a throttle lever 2 and an engineers air brake valve 8. i

The throttle lever 2 is under the control of a pneumatic operating member 4 and the valve 3 is under the control of a pneumatic operating member 5., the arrangement being such that the member 4 will operate to move the throttlelever Zto the shut on position Specification of Letterslaterit.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR BAILWAYS.

Patented Unit. 3, 1911.

Application filed May .9, 1910. Serial No. 560,138.

reservoir of the air brake system and in this pipe there is a valve 7 ilnder the direct control of a rod 8 which may extend above the cab of the engine and be there provided with an angle or crank extension 9 for a purpose which will presently appear. When the valve 7 is opened, air passing through the pipenG will actuate the pneumatic member 4 to cut ofi steam from the engine and as soon as this is done the member 5 receives the air and the valve 3 is actuated in a manner to apply the brakes so that steam is cut oft from the engine and the brakes applied in succession" and the engine or train is brought to a standstill.

At predetermined points along the line of way are stop members 14- constrained by gravity or otherwise to assume a position in ,the path of the crank extension. 9 of the valve rod 8 on the engine. In operative relation to each stop member 14 is a lock bar 15 so arranged as to engage the stop member let and hold it rigidly in position to be engaged by the crank extension 9 on the engine so that 'on such engagement the valve rod 8 will be caused to make about a quarter turn thus opening the valve 7 and causing the actuation of the train controlling devices in the manner described. Normally, however, the lock member or bar 15 is under the control of an electro-magnet 16 the armature 17 of. which is made fast to the bar 15 so that when the magnet 16 is energized the bar 15 is withdrawn from engaging relation with. the stop member 1a which lattermay be provided with a notch 18 into which the bar 15 will drop, if it be considered that the parts respond to the action of gravity, when the magnet 16 is not energized, thus under these circumstances locking the stop member 14 against movement and therebycausing the opening cerned. In the axis of curvature of the strips there is provided a pivot support 21 carrying an arm or lever 22 traversing a guide strip 23 which serves to relieve the pivot support 21 of undue strain. The arm 22 may be hollow and be traversed by a rod 24 extending entirely through the arm 22 and carrying at the end adjacent to the strips 19, a cross arm 25 of such length and so located as to engage-with one end the strip 19 and'the other end the strip 20 when at an angle to the length of both of these strips. One end or the cross arm 25 is provided with a terminal insulating block 26 while the other end is adapted to make electrical contact with the strip 19 or 20 as the case may be.v

At the end of the arm 22 remote from the cross arm 25 the pivot rod 24 projects and is there provided with a crank extension 27 to which is attached one end of a spring 28,

the other end of which is attached to a fixed point, the relation of the spring 28 and the crank arm .27 to the rod 24 being such as to maintain the conducting end of the cross arm 25 in engagement with the strip 19 or the strip 20 in accordance with the position of the arm 25, which is also held by the spring 28 in the position to which it was moved by the last passing train.

The arm 25 is provided with a cross pin 29 and'is in the path ofa finger 30 on an arm 31 carried by the engine 1, this engine being represented in Fig; 2 by a wheel and J a portion of the truck. The finger 30 may be mounted on a pivot 32 carried by the arm 31 and be centralized by a spring 33 whiclrpcrmits the finger 30 to yield upwardly or downwardly about the pivot 32. The arm 22 is centralized with reference to the strips 19 and 20 by the guide strip 23 which is provided with a longitudinal slot through which the arm 22 passes and the said arm is held by two springs 34, each fast at one end to the arm 22 and at the other ends to the strips 23 on opposite sides of the arm 22. The springs 34 will yield to any force tending to turn the arm 25 on the pivot support 21 and thus when the arm 25 is engaged by the finger 30 of a rapidly moving train the springs 34 act as elastic bufi'ers permitting a horizontal yielding of the arm 22 to the a impact of the finger 30. The purpose of the finger 30 isto cause the turning of the arm 25 on the axis of the pivot rod 24 when the arm 25 is engaged by the finger 30 on the moving train so that if the conducting end of the arm 25 be at the time in engagement with the strip 19 it will be moved into engagement with the strip 20 and the insulating end 26 will be moved from the strip 20 to the strip 19, the spring 28 permitting the movement and holding the arm 25 in its new position. Since the arm 25 is always inclined away from an oncoming finger. 30,

the latter because of its yielding mount-ing will ride along the arm 25 until it strikes the cross pin 29 and will then turn the arm to its new position thus reversing its electrical connections. The finger 3O usually travels in a line about on a level with the pivots of the arms 25 although some variation from this level is not material. The arm 25 may be insulated in any suitable manner and is coupled by a conductor 35 to one side of the adjacent magnet 16 while the other side of this magnet is connected either to a battery 36 or'other suitable source of electric current which in turn is connected to ground by a conductor 37 or this magnet is connected directly to ground by a conductor 38, these two arrangements being 2 provided at the opposite ends of a block section. The strips 19, at the two ends of a block section are connected together by a arms 25 at the two ends of a block section v have their conductingends in engagement with the like strips 19 or 20 at the two ends of the block. Under these conditions there is established a circuit from the battery 36 to the adjacent magnet 16 thence to the adjacent arm 25 and by the latter to say, the strip 19 there located, thence by the conductor 39 to the other strip 19 thence by the arm 25 there located to the respective conductor 35 thence to the magnet 16 at the last named end of the block section, thence by the conductor 38 to ground and back by the conductor 37 to the battery- 36. Under these circumstances the two magnets 16 at the ends of the blocksection are energized and their armatures 17 are attracted so that the bars 15 are out of engagement with the stop members 14 and the latter are then free to move under the action of a small force so that if under these circumstances a stop member 14 is engaged by the end 9 of the rod 8 the member 14 will yield. If however either arm 25 be moved from its normal position to the reverse position then the circuit through the magnets is broken and both magnets become deencrgized and both stop members at the opposite-ends of the block section become locked rigidly so that the valve 7 of a passing train is actuated and the controlling means of the train are operated in a manner to bring the train to a standstill.

If it be assumed that a train enters a block equipped with .the present invention then the entering train will first engage the stop member 14 at the entrance of the block and, the block being clear, this member 14 L:

of course, indicate to the engineman that the:

block is clear. As soon, however, as the train'has entered the block the finger 30 carried by the train engages the adjacent arm I and the latter is moved on its pivot supportin a .direction to break the circuit to both magnets 16 so that both become deenergized and the train is protected at both ends from oncoming trains, either approaching" the train within the block from the front :or from the rear.

Ultimately the train reaches the other end of the block but before it can come into engagement with the stop member 14: there located the finger on the train first engages the arm 25 located at the outgoing end ofthe block and this arm is swung on its pivot so that its conducting end. is brought into engagement with the strip 19 or 20 electrically connected with the strip 19 or 20 into engagement with which the arm.25 at the entering end of the block was moved by the passing train. This re'sultsin causing the energization of both magnets 16 and the release of both stop members 14 so that the train in the block is free to pass out 4" therefrom and any train'following is free to pass intothe block' lately occupied by the train under consideration. By having the stop members 14; of adjacent blocks in overlapping relation and properly spaced apart no train can approach into' dangerous proximity to another since both trains will be stopped before the danger zone, is entered.

The train controlling mechanism shown in the drawings forms in itself no part of the present invention'and any type of train controlling device maybe used, it only being necessary to respond to the stop members 14 along the line 0 way either above the trains or to one sidei thereof or even below the trains, the situation of these stop devices not being materialto the operation of'the inventio WVhat is claimed is y -1. In a safety device for railways, me-

. chanical stop members at the ends of block sponsive to passing trains and located closer together than are the stop members, and a single charged electric circuit including the switches and electro-magnets controlling the locks for the stop members.

3. In a safety device for railways, mechanical stop members at the ends of block stations, locks for said stop members, electro-magnets controlling the locks for the stop members and holding them normally. in the inactive position, a normally closed' charged circuit including the magnets, pairs of circuit terminals in said circuit at the ends of the block stations but nearer together than the stop members, switches in said circuit,-each movable into engagement with either of the terminalsof a respective pair, and train. carried means for moving said switches from one terminal "of a pair to the other. i I p In testimony that I claimthe foregoing as myown, I have-hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

CHAS'B. MITCHELL. "Witnesses:

JA B.TRUETT,

RG11. Mooor.

- Copies of this patent may be obtained 01" five cents each, by'addressing the Commissioner 0; "Patents,

' Washington, D. C. 

